Mosquitoes found in 12 Connecticut towns

Published 11:14 pm, Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Mosquitoes from 12 Connecticut municipalities have tested positive for West Nile virus so far this season -- a total state one state health official called "not remarkable."

However, he said, state residents should still take precautions to prevent getting nipped by an infected mosquito.

On Tuesday, the state Department of Public Health announced that 20 pools of mosquitoes from a dozen towns and cities -- most of them in Fairfield County -- tested positive for West Nile. The pests were found in the following communities: Bridgeport, Fairfield, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Westport, East Haven, Glastonbury, Manchester, New Haven and Plainfield.

So far, this West Nile season is significantly less active than last year's, when 117 positive mosquito pools were found in 30 towns by this point in the season, said Randall Nelson, state public health veterinarian for the Department of Public Health.

"Every year is a little different," he said. "It's not a lot of mosquitoes or a lot of towns for this time of year. This number is not remarkable in any way. It is neither too high nor too low. It's about what we'd expect."

There haven't been any human cases of the illness yet, but Nelson said the latter half of August and the first half of September are prime times for human infection.

Thus, he said, people should still protect themselves against mosquito bites, by using mosquito repellent, covering bare skin, and limiting outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.